UMSL Instructor of Record Policy
Approved by Academic Advisory Committee – March 12, 2018
1. Purpose
This policy defines Instructor of Record categories—Primary Instructor, Secondary Instructor, Course Director, Graduate Instructor, Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), and Course Administrator—to ensure accurate records of teaching assignments for faculty, GTAs, and other appointments. Oversight is provided by the department chair.
Accurate designation is essential for reporting teaching loads to UM System, maintaining records in MyVita, and conducting academic program reviews and assessments.
2. Instructor of Record Categories
a. Primary Instructor
A Primary Instructor is actively involved in delivering course content and assessing student learning. Responsibilities include:
- Developing and implementing the course syllabus
- Meeting with the class as scheduled
- Verifying attendance via the approved university system
- Ensuring achievement of stated student learning outcomes
- Assigning final grades
- Resolving grade disputes and making grade changes
Each Primary Instructor is assigned a percentage of responsibility in MyView/Cognos. Multiple Primary Instructors may be assigned to one course.
b. Secondary Instructor
A Secondary Instructor assists the Primary Instructor in content delivery, lab supervision, grading, or other tasks. This includes UMSL faculty (all five categories*) and other appointed personnel. Graduate students may serve as Secondary Instructors for undergraduate classes.
A percentage of responsibility is assigned in MyView/Cognos.
c. Course Director
A Course Director may be designated in team-taught courses and holds additional oversight responsibilities, such as:
- Overseeing labs/studios taught by TAs or secondary instructors
- Organizing seminar series
- Supervising clinical instruction
- Managing field supervision of practica or internships
Course Directors are assigned a percentage of responsibility in MyView/Cognos.
d. Graduate Instructor
Graduate Instructors are graduate students responsible for full course instruction, including syllabus design, delivery, and grading. They must have earned at least 18 graduate hours in the teaching discipline to lead a baccalaureate-level course.
A percentage of responsibility is assigned in MyView/Cognos.
e. Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
GTAs assist with large course sections, performing tasks such as grading (under established rubrics), hosting office hours, and engaging on learning platforms. While they support course delivery, GTAs are not assigned workload percentages in MyView/Cognos.
f. Administrator
Administrators are faculty or staff listed on the grade roster to facilitate grade entry or changes when the Instructor of Record is unavailable. They do not carry a teaching workload and are not integrated into systems like MyVita or Canvas.
3. Instructor of Record Qualifications
- All Instructors of Record must meet instructional qualifications per UMSL Faculty Bylaws (UM System CRR 300.040) and the Higher Learning Commission’s Assumed Practice B.2.
- Graduate Instructors for whom English is a second language may only be appointed after demonstrating proficiency in English (oral and written).
*UMSL Faculty Categories
- Tenure/Tenure Track
- Non-Tenure Track Full Time (NTT-FT)
- Non-Tenure Track Part-Time (NTT-PT)
- Other Compensated Appointments
- Other Non-Compensated Appointments